u/emutz10

I’m a newbie (started in January, but I’ve basically made it my full-time job since then), but I just need to talk about The Glory.

Full transparency: I went in with low expectations. I looked at the poster and thought they didn't look like your typical "stunning idol drama" leads. Shallow? Yeah...but that changed...fast!

What I loved:

• The plot: I’m usually a "skip to the romance" kind of watcher (guilty 🙋‍♀️), but I was actually glued to the screen for the revenge and the scheming. I didn't skip a single second.
• The dialogue: the screenplay is top-tier. Their conversations had me swinging between being mad, laughing and kicking my feet giggling. The scenes on the bridge and the rooftop? Pure cinema.
• The bond: it’s a veeeeryyyy slow burn and very stingy with the physical stuff, but watching them go from mistrust to "I admire your brain" was really satisfying. It wasn't love at first sight, like that iconic scene in POB. It was "I love how you think" and that kinda hit harder.
• Screen time: usually, in these heavy "revenge" dramas, the leads are apart for episodes at a time doing their own thing. But here? You get SO much screen time with them together**.** It’s not just a subplot, they are constantly in each other's orbit and I loved it.
• The acting: Xin Yun Lai was perfect as the restrained, smart Vice Minister, not a total red flag, just dangerous if you become his target. Chen Duling had incredible range: cold, desperate, hopeful, dark. And Wen Zheng Rong (the mother)...ma’am, you are a legend!! The scenes with her had me sobbing.

What didn’t hit the mark for me:

• The villain: the father felt a bit one-dimensional. I don’t need to sympathize with a villain, but I like a bit more realism than just "plain evil."
• The (lack of) kisses: yeah, we don't get the fuzzy feeling there, but the chemistry still carried.
• The goose metaphor: I get what they were going for, but my brain just kept saying "silly goose" and I’d start laughing.
• The little girl: personal opinion, she was pretty annoying, even if she was necessary for the plot.

Lines that live rent-free in my head:

• Perhaps from the very first day we met, I thought I was the one hunting the fox, but Id been captured by you.
• I have never been a gentleman (hehe, iykyk).
• I Zhuang Han Yan am the fire.
• I remember food preferences to know how to poison them.
• Go ahead, make sure you look miserable, you’re good at that.

Final verdict: am I ready for those 70-episode epics like Rebel Princess or Swords and plowshares? Absolutely not. My watchlist is too long and I don't have that kind of time until I retire I guess.

But The Glory was like a perfect micro-dose of that heavy-plot world and it felt great.

Who actually owns your heart in cdramaland? I’ve put mine in italics. No pressure to explain your picks, but if you've got tea, go ahead!

• First Love (the one who introduced you into cdramas and made you stay): Liu Xue Yi
• The Husband (no matter what you watch, he’s your no 1): Liu Yu Ning
• The Lover (because our husbands are busy filming for months and we get lonely): Arthur Chen
• The Birthday Pass (your husband is feeling generous for one night only…who is the eye candy you choose?): Li Xian
• The Cutie Pie (he puts a soft smile on your face, without the dirty thoughts): Zhang Wan Yi
• The Red Card (the human species depends on you two to repopulate and you’re still saying NO): Chen Zheyuan

Before Turkish TV series took over households in Europe, we had ✨telenovelas✨ and what they would do is take big hits from the past and release remakes with other cast. They would do some script changes and adapt it to modern times, but the core plot remained the same.

I was wondering whether that is a thing for cdramas, for instance cdramas from the 90s that are being reintroduced to contemporary audiences.